Shipping package and container for sheet materials



A ril 17, 1956 R, E. BLACKBURN ET AL 2,742,145

SHIPPING PACKAGE AND CONTAINER FOR SHEET MATERIALS Filed July 2a, 1953SHIPPING PACKAGE AND CONTAINER For: SHEET MATERIALS Richard E.Blackburn, Amelia, and Alphonse J. Heitz,

Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, toContainer Corporation of America, Chicago,

III, a corporation of Delaware Application July 28, 1953, Serial No.379,759 1 Claim. (Cl. 206- 60) This invention relates to the shipmentof-sheet matey rials, and has to do 'with a'shipping package embodyingand of such character that the edges thereof must be protected againstchipping during shipment of the packaged sheets and a stack of sheetsmay; exert considerable pressure on the Walls of the shipping containerat the edges of thesheets of the stack when the container is disposedwith'one. of such walls downward. It is known .to ship sheets of thecharacter referred to in a stack in a container having a frame of woodor like material fitting snugly about the sides of the stack. While thewood frame is capable of withstanding the pressures to which it issubjected, it may causechipping or damage to the edges of the sheets ofthe stack and is comparatively heavy and expensive. V

Ourinvention is directed to the provision of a shipping package and acontainer for sheet materials which avoids the above mentionedobjections to the known packagesreferred to. To that end, we provide ashipping container formed in its entirety of paperboard or like materialand comprising a first closure panel preferably formed of corrugatedpaperboard, an open top paperboard frame secured to the panel for snuglyreceiving a stack of sheets of material and a second closure panel forthe frame. The frame is formed of rails constructed of laminations ofcorrugated paperboard adhesively secured together and disposed with thecorrugations of each rail extending inwardly of the frame perpendicularto the side thereof at which the rail is located. While, as noted, theclosure panels preferably are formed of corrugated paperboard, suchpanels may, Within the broader aspects of our invention, be formed ofany suitable material, for example, plywood or other suitable sheetmaterial. The frame rails are adhesively secured to the inner face ofwhat may be termed the lower or bottom closure panel of the containerand paperboard channel members are disposed about the sides of thecontainer and are adhesively secured to the underface of the bottompanel and to the outer faces of the frame rails, the upper flaps of thechannel members being adhesively secured to the upper faces of the framerails and to the'upper or top closure panel. In that manner, the partsof the container are effectively tied together by the channel membersand the latter, in cooperation with the two closure panels, effectivelyresist outward pressures 'to which the frame rails may be, subjected,supplementing the adhesive attachment of the rail frames to the bottomclosure panelin that respect. Further objects and advantages of ourinvention will appear from the detailed description. 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa shipping package embodying ourinvention with the upper flaps of the channel members unsecured and thestack of sheets 2,742,145 Patented Apr. 17, 1956 ice within thecontainer and the top closure panel partly broken away; and

Figure Zis a perspective view of the package of Figure 1 in its closedcondition ready for shipment.

The container comprises a rectangular bottom closure panel 5 whichpreferably is of corrugated paperboard,

though it maybe of other suitable sheet material within the broaderaspects of our invention. A rectangular frame 6 is secured to the upperface of panel 5. This frame 6 comprises rails 7 of rectangular crosssection each formed of a plurality of layers or 'laminations 8 ofcorrugated paperboard. vThe laminations 8 of the respective rails 7 areadhesively secured together with the corru: gations thereof extendingtransversely of the rail. The rails 7 are adhesively secured to theupper face of the bottom closure panel 5 parallel with the edges thereofand with the outer faces of the rails flush with the edges of thatpanel. The ends of the rails 7 are disposed in abutting'relation and twoof the rails may fit between the ends of the other two thereof, asshown. Channel members 9, preferably formed of uncorrugated paperboard,though corrugated paperboard may be used if desired, are disposed abouttwo opposite sides of panel 5 and the corresponding rails 7. Each of thechannel members 9 comprises a lower flap 10, an intermediate or bightportion 11 to which help is hinged along a fold line, and an upperor'top. flap 12 hinged to the upper edge of the intermediate portion 11along a fold line. The bottom flaps 10 of the channelv members 9 areadhesivelysecured to the underface of the bottom closure panel 5, andthe intermediate or bight portions 11 of. the channel members 9 areadhesively secured to the outer sides or faces of the correspondingframe rails 7.

Channel members 13, similar to the channel members 9,

are disposed at the other two opposite sides of the bottom closure panel5, each of the channel members 13 comprising a lower or bottom flap 14hinged or attached along a fold line to the lower edge of anintermediate or bight portion 15, and an upper or top flap 16 hingedalong afold line to the upper edge of bight portion 15. The bottom flaps14 of the channel members 13 are adhesively secured to the underface' ofthe bottom closure panel,5,'

and the intermediate or bight portions 15 of the channel members 13 areadhesively secured to the outer sides or faces of the correspondingframe rails 7.

The frame 6 is open at its top and defines a recess of appropriate depthfor reception of a stack 17 of sheets 18 of material such as abovereferred to. The sheets 18,

in the production thereof, are cut to predetermined dimensions and theframe 6 is of such interior dimensions as to receive snugly the sheets18 placed therein. The height of the stack 17 of sheets 18 is such thatthe upper face of the top sheet thereof is disposed a short distancebelow the upper face of the frame 6. After the stack has been thusplaced in the container, the top of frame 6 is closed by a top closurepanel 19 fitting snugly therein and seating on the stack with its upperface flush with the upper face of frame 6. The top panels .12 and 16 ofthe channel members 9 and 13, respectively, are then folded downwardonto the frame 6 and the top closure panel 19 and adhesively securedthereto. That completes the package which then appears in Figure 2.

In the completed package the corrugations of the rails 7 of the frame 6are disposed perpendicular to the edges of the sheets 18 of the stack17, so that the frame 6 is subjected in the use of the container.Further, the frame rails 7, being formed of paperboard, possessdesirable cushioning characteristics which further guard the edges ofthe sheets against chipping or other damage. 1 The channel members 9 and13 tie the frame rails 7 and the 'top andbottom panels 5 and 19,respectively, together and materially assist in resisting outwardpressure to which the frame'rails may be subjected, supplementing inthat respect the adhesive securement of the rails 7 to the bottomclosure panel 5. The flaps 12 and 16 of the channel members 9 and 13,respectively, being adhesively secured to the upper faces of the framerails 7 and'to the top closure panel 19, in conjunction with the snugfit of the latter in frame 6, effectively prevent any objectionablelooseness or play of panel 19.

The ends of the top flaps 16 of the channel members 13, which areshorter than the channel members 9, abut the end portions of the topflaps '12 of the channel members 9 so as to avoid any appreciable spaceor opening therebetween, as shown in Figure 2. The flaps 12 and 16efiectively seal'the top of the package against entry of dust, dirtorother foreign materials, as will be clear from what has been said. Ifdesired, the end portions of the rails between the ends of theintermediate or bight portions 11 and of the channel members 9 and 13,respectively, may be covered by paperboard strips adhesively securedthereto to prevent entry of moisture or foreign materials into thepackage. As will be understood, if desired or required, protectivesheets of paper or other suitable material may be disposed between thesheets 18 of stack 17 and between the top and the bottom sheets of thevstack and the top closure panel 19 and the bottom closure panel 5. Also,in cases where the stack 17 does not extend the full interior height ofthe frame 6, a'suitable filler may be used to guard against anyundesirable looseness or play of the sheets of the stack, the top andbottom closure panels 19 andS, respectively,preferably being underslight tension suflicient to restrain the stack against any undesirablelooseness or play in the container.

As will be understood from what has been said, changes in detail may bemade without departing from the field and scope of our invention, and weintend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of theappended.

gym-2,145

ct}, claim, in this application in which the preferred form only of ourinvention has been disclosed.

We claim:

In a shipping package, a container comprising a substantiallyrectangular bottom closure panel, an 'open top substantially rectangularframe formed of rails parallel with the sides of said panel and securedto the upper face thereof with their outer faces flush with the edges ofsaid panel, said rails respectively comprising laminations of corrugatedpaperboard secured together with the corrugationsof the respective railsparallel with said panel and perpendicular to the adjacent edge of saidpanel, a stack of sheets of material fitting snugly within said frame, asubstantially rectangular paperboard top closure panel fitting snuglywithin said frame on top of said stack, and paperboard channel membersrespectively comprising a bight portion and top and bottom flapsattached to the top and bottom edges of said bight portion along foldlines, the bight portions of said channel members being secured to theouter faces of said rails effective for sealing the outer ends of thecorrugations thereof, the bottom flaps of said channel membersunderlying and being adhesively secured to said bottom closure panel andthe top flaps of said channel members overlying and being adhesivelysecured to said rails and the edge portions of said top closurepanel,said channel members tying together said rails and top and bottomclosure panels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,168,986 Whittemore Jan. 18, 1916 1,225,079 Upson May 8, 1917 1,724,740Utzman Aug. 13, 1929 1,798,779 Bowersock Mar. 31, 1931 1,890,467McCarroll Dec. 13, 1932 2,321,063 Bohnke June 8, 1943 2,643,050 WilliamsJune 23, 1953 2,692,720 Suess et al. Oct. 26, 1954

